


Amulet

by starandrea



Category: Power Rangers Ninja Storm
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-09
Updated: 2007-07-09
Packaged: 2018-09-15 22:47:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9261539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starandrea/pseuds/starandrea
Summary: Cam's amulet likes Hunter, and she tells him so.  Repeatedly.





	

**Chapters:**

[1\. Block](http://www.starandrea.com/firstsaga/amulet.html#block) (R)  
[2\. Beach Day](http://www.starandrea.com/firstsaga/amulet.html#beachday)  
[3\. Only in Green](http://www.starandrea.com/firstsaga/amulet.html#onlyingreen)  
[4\. Starglow](http://www.starandrea.com/firstsaga/amulet.html#starglow)  
  


**1\. Block **

He awoke with a moan, the sound penetrating the clouds of sleep and the hot discomfort of a dream that really was the last thing he needed after a day like today. He squirmed out from under a blanket that had tangled around his legs, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes. He tried hard, grittingly hard, to ignore the ache that raged through his body, knowing it was just an aftereffect of Lother's latest scheme.

He remembered the love spell all too well, and the only thing that mitigated his utter embarrassment was the fact that Blake had been right there in the middle of it with him. And Blake was a lot more willing to draw teasing than he was, which Cam was perfectly happy to take advantage of. Anything that took the attention off of him was welcome. Especially if it was going to linger like this, invading his dreams long after the spell's effect on his conscious mind had dissipated.

He didn't love Tori. He liked Tori, and he was grateful for her intelligent presence on a team dominated by teenage boys. He appreciated her wit, her dedication, and her willingness to gently mock her friends when she knew it was what he needed to hear. If there was anyone on the team he would confide in, it would be her.

But he didn't love her, and as far as he knew, he wasn't attracted to her in any way. She was pretty, beautiful even, and she didn't let it go to her head. That more than anything was something he unconsciously acknowledged--beauty that didn't put itself up on a pedestal. But it wasn't something he was looking for at this point in his life, and if he wanted to pursue a relationship with anyone it certainly wouldn't be another Ranger. That way lay chaos.

Cam took a deep breath, let it out, and glanced over at his clock. 1:35 AM. Great. That was just great. Less than three hours of sleep and already he was reluctant to stay in bed. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford the sleeplessness, and that left only one choice.

He closed his eyes, hoping to find some solace in meditation before he turned his body over to the whims of unconsciousness again. But exhaustion dragged at his brain the moment he tried to relax, and he gave up. Surely, if he was this tired, there was no way his mind would resume an unwanted dream for the sole purpose of torturing him?

He fell back into bed, hauling his legs up onto the mattress and closing his eyes. He didn't even bother with the blanket, promising his body he would reposition it in a minute... once he had the energy. Or when the discomfort outweighed his tiredness, whichever came first.

He was drifting in lightheaded sensation, totally unaware of the bed beneath him, when he realized he was dreaming again. _Not so bad,_ his brain decided drowsily. He could feel the pillow behind his head momentarily as he shifted, the hazy doze interrupted by something he couldn't identify. It was gone as soon as it had come, and the realm of sleep engulfed him with a vengeance.

There were feelings he knew only distantly: the full-body flush, the yearning for something undefined, the forward press of every blood cell in his body. An ache strong enough to make him gasp, twisting under a touch so soft that he had to have imagined it. It was a feeling he had never associated with another person, but he knew it by name.

Desire.

Desire for someone, for something someone could do to him, for something he could only be with someone else. The sensation had never been more than a vague longing, but this time--with this particular person--it was a harsh reality that no fantasy could have prepared him for. It was lust, pure and simple, and it colored everything he knew.

Fingers in his hair, hands on his skin, he was wearing _nothing_ and it was good, it was a relief, he couldn't imagine clothes getting in the way of this feeling. His back arched on an indrawn breath, wanting the brush of blond hair against the most sensitive parts of his body--the ghost of a tongue on his skin made him gasp and his fingers clenched in the sheets. He was writhing in the grip of something no one else had ever brought out in him and it was _so_ good...

The jerk of climax made him cry out. For a moment he hovered between dream and reality, shuddering, reaching for someone who wasn't there--

Blue eyes stared back at him. Ice blue eyes that glinted in the dim light, hard and unforgiving... a far cry from the delighted sparkle that lurked in Tori's aquamarine gaze. He sat up with a shock, heart pounding as he tried to see into the darkness left in the wake of a dream too vivid for his peace of mind.

Hunter.

"No," he whispered fervently. He would deny that possibility with his last breath. " _No_."

He kicked the blanket away, hands shaking as he lifted them to his face. He scrubbed at his skin, trying to dispel images that refused to fade, trying not to think about why he was panting. No. It was just the love spell, just clinging magic that made him think he was still inexplicably attracted to Tori.

But it hadn't been Tori in his dream.

What the hell did his subconscious want with Hunter, anyway? He pushed his hair out of his face angrily, shoving himself to his feet and taking a deep breath as his head objected violently. Yeah, well, if the blood in his body would stay where it was supposed to, standing up wouldn't be such a head rush. And really, the headache was overdoing it just a little. He'd taken more aspirin before he went to bed the first time.

Now he wanted more. He fumbled his way toward the door, not bothering with the light until a voice behind him remarked, "You obviously inherited your stubbornness from your mother."

Cam spun, slamming his hand down on the lightswitch and searching the room rapidly. The light stabbed his eyes, making them water as he squinted into the corners, looking for anything out of the ordinary. There was nothing there.

_Your reflexes, too._ This time the voice sounded admiring, and it was still coming from behind him. He leapt away from the door, certain there was nothing between him and it but not certain enough to argue with ninja training.

_Sorry about the headache,_ the voice continued blithely. _It's not actually that easy to talk to you. I suppose people have told you that before._

"Who's there?" Cam demanded, his voice harsh in the silence. "What do you want?"

_Less of a who, more of a what_ , the voice answered. _Your mom didn't have time to tell you what you were getting when I chose you._ It became slightly more reflective as it added, _She must have figured out who you were, though... the choice of names is too odd to be coincidence._

"What do you know about my mom?" Cam growled. He was still scanning the room and coming up totally empty. "Who are you?"

_I'm the samurai amulet._

His gaze dropped to his chest, where the necklace his mother had passed on to him was glowing softly in the brightly lit room. He reached down and yanked it off over his head, turning slowly to cover the rest of the room with his gaze. The voice moved with him, a feat that someone having fun with him would be hard-pressed to pull off in a place this secure.

_I was with your mother for several years,_ the voice continued, sounding vaguely amused at his actions. _I have to admit, I didn't expect to jump quite so far into the future, but when you've been around as long as I have, a few decades is nothing. And it's been quite an interesting ride._

Cam dropped the amulet on his desk and walked out of the room. For a moment, as he walked down the hallway toward the bathroom, there was silence. He could be crazy, he decided. He could be under a spell. Lothor could be messing with his mind again, which after today seemed more and more likely.

_Sorry._ The voice was back, and he let out the breath he'd been holding. _It doesn't work that way. I'm afraid you're stuck with me until I choose someone new._

"When will that be?" he asked in spite of himself. His words sounded out of place in the quiet corridor. She wasn't actually... talking, as far as he could tell. The sound didn't seem to disturb the stillness around him--and besides, if she were physically speaking her voice would be coming from his room. It wasn't. It was still right behind him, as close as ever despite leaving the amulet behind.

_You'll know when I know,_ she replied carelessly, and he wondered suddenly when he'd started thinking of the voice as feminine. _In the meantime, I want to talk about this Hunter of yours._

He stopped in front of the medicine cabinet, staring inside without seeing a thing. "That was you," he accused. "That... dream, that was you!"

It explained a lot. Or at least, it did inasmuch as the idea that his mother's talking amulet was taking an active interest in his sex life--or lack thereof--could be considered an explanation. He couldn't help feeling relieved that he finally had some rationale for it.

It didn't last.

_The dream?_ She sounded genuinely surprised. _No, that was yours. I was just looking around... trying to find some common ground, as it were. Luckily our taste in men is it, since I was about to write you off as a lost cause._

There was a significant pause, and then she added, _Did I mention that you're extremely difficult to talk to?_

He sighed, pressing one hand to his temple while he squeezed his eyes shut. The adrenaline was wearing off, and he found himself just as tired as he'd been before. "What are you talking about?"

_Take your aspirin, dear. It will all look better in the morning._

Dear?

If this was all in his head, he seriously needed to consider therapy.

  


**2\. Beach Day **

"Nice abs."

"Get out of my head."

"Look at that body and tell me you can't appreciate anything about it."

"Look at my expression and tell me how long you think I can survive in combat without you. Because right now, I'm really tempted to find out."

"There's more to life than fighting, Cameron. You're at the beach on a beautiful day, surrounded by your closest friends and treated to one of the best views around. You could at least look."

"Will looking shut you up?" Cam hissed under his breath. There were days when she drove him so crazy that he would try just about anything. Whether he answered or not, it didn't seem to matter--she just kept talking.

"Looking will shut me up," she promised. He waited for the inevitable "but," and was mildly surprised when it didn't come. He was sure the reprieve would be short-lived... but a deal was a deal.

He turned his gaze down the beach, away from Dustin and Blake's war over who got the best toys, toward the two Rangers already playing in the surf. Hunter had teased Tori until she gave chase, splashing into the water after him, and he was fending her off by spraying chilly ocean water in every direction. The tactic was questionable, since it got him at least as wet as it seemed to be getting her, but she hadn't caught him yet. What she would do when she did was open for debate.

Equally open for debate was Hunter's cold tolerance on a day that wasn't exactly blazing hot, especially when the water temperature hadn't risen quite as high as it had in summers past. He was tearing happily through the knee-deep water, raising a wall of spray around him and laughing at Tori's shouted threats. And, as Cam's amulet had wasted no time in pointing out, he was doing so shirtless.

Tori lobbed a water balloon at Hunter's head. If the effect hadn't been so distracting, Cam would have sighed. How many times did they have to be told not to use their ninja skills in public? Tori was easily the Winds' worst offender--which said something about how naturally the power came to her, but without discipline it meant nothing.

It hadn't been a water balloon, of course. She had tossed a sphere of ocean water that lost cohesion on impact, drenching Hunter's hair and sending a cascade of droplets down his bare shoulders, arms, and chest. Even from here Cam could see his skin glittering from the deluge. He didn't even notice the amulet's silence--his body was filling in the blanks all by itself.

Cam tore his gaze away. He didn't need this. He didn't need Hunter. He didn't need anyone; this was ridiculous. Where did the amulet come up with these stupid ideas about pairing him off like some pedigreed rabbit? She couldn't be serious about him needing balance. He could think of few things that would unbalance his life more than a jock boyfriend like Hunter.

"You couldn't have chosen someone I have _less_ in common with?" he muttered under his breath.

"I didn't choose Hunter," she informed him. "You did."

"And you base this on what?" he demanded. "The dreams? I didn't start having them until you came along."

"No, you didn't start remembering them until I came along," she corrected. "I'd think you would thank me for pointing it out to you; the two of you aren't exactly subtle. At least now when you're in the same room together _one_ of you is thinking with his brain."

The implication that Hunter was in this with him was nothing short of ludicrous. "He doesn't even know I exist."

"You've said dumber things, but I can't think of any of them right now."

"Hunter competes with guys," Cam told her. "He doesn't go out with them."

"He doesn't compete with you."

Cam was painfully aware of that. "I'm not worth competing with. He's a jock. I'm a geek. We don't even exist in the same dimension. He doesn't have to prove he's better than me because I'm not a threat."

"No," she agreed. "You're something far more dangerous." Her tone was just as serious as his had been. "You're the person he's trying to impress."

"That's ridiculous."

"If you say so."

"He flirts with girls! Look at him and Tori. Even Blake doesn't smirk at her like that."

"That's because Blake cares what she thinks," she said dryly. "Does Hunter strike you as the kind of person who would go after his brother's girl? As a person who would even let himself _look_ at his brother's girl?"

"But he does," Cam protested.

"Because she's _safe._ " The amulet sounded exasperated. "Blake knows it. Tori knows it, and she'll never take him seriously. Hunter flirts with her because he can. Not because he wants her."

Cam's eyes shifted back toward the water involuntarily. Hunter was carrying Tori piggyback, kicking water every which way as he charged through the waves with her. And they looked--he hated to admit that he noticed, but they looked good together. Tori's blonde hair on Hunter's shoulders, her hands clasped across his chest as she laughed in his ear... they couldn't be any closer.

He forced himself to look away. Blake was snickering at something Dustin had said, but even as Cam glanced at him he looked over at Hunter and Tori. Blake just shook his head, not bothering with a second glance. He turned back to Dustin, made a teasing comment about inflatable swans, and ignored the antics of his brother and girlfriend.

No threat. Blake clearly saw no threat when Hunter and Tori were together. And why not? Was he that certain of where he stood with Tori? Was it just because Hunter was his brother? Because Hunter was that trustworthy?

"Because Hunter's gay?" the amulet interjected.

Cam closed his eyes and counted to two. He was actually aiming for three--ten never came fast enough--but two was as far as he got before he burst out, "Would you stop that!" He did manage to keep his voice quiet enough that it wouldn't carry, but that was his sole victory.

"What?" she inquired. "Pointing out the obvious?"

"Driving me crazy!"

"Does the thought of Hunter being gay make you crazy?"

He gritted his teeth. " _You_ make me crazy."

"Funny. Your mother used to say the same thing."

"She did?" Diverted for the moment and actually curious about the answer, he asked, "Why?"

"I have no idea. It's possible that it was in some way related to my observations about Kanoi."

He groaned. "Are you _always_ a matchmaker?"

"Only when there's a match to be made," she replied primly.

"Good. Then you can stop pushing me at Hunter."

"Would you rather I pushed Hunter at you? Just say the word and hand me over--tell him its a science experiment or something, you're creative. Two seconds and the poor boy won't know what hit him."

"Don't you dare," he hissed. "Just because Lothor's goons haven't managed to pick you apart doesn't mean it can't be done." Whatever happened, she had just ensured that Hunter would never, ever touch the samurai amulet.

"Spoilsport. You know, I could probably--"

"I don't think I even want to know," Cam realized. It might be safer if he didn't know everything the amulet could do. Safer for him, anyway.

He wasn't really in the mood to protect Hunter right now.

"Don't you dare get me wet, bro!"

With some dismay, he realized that Hunter and Tori had made it all the way back up the beach while he was distracted. While Tori teased Blake about his sudden water phobia, Hunter was ribbing Dustin about something Cam tried not to overhear. The closer they were, the harder it was to avoid looking at Hunter, and he really didn't need any more reason to stare in his direction.

For the first time, he was honestly glad to hear CyberCam's voice over his morpher. Cam had wanted to come to the beach today, had in fact been looking forward to it, but now that he was here it was just presenting him with one problem after another. Those problems being, in order of importance: Hunter, Hunter's body, the visibility of Hunter's body, and the amulet's opinion of Hunter's body. Along with her conviction that Cam should share her opinion. 

The mere fact of her presence, actually. That should have made the list before, and probably should have been at the top, since no matter what she said he had never tried to picture Hunter without his shirt on before her. But... he liked to tease her. He liked that he _could_ tease her, and not only would she not take offense, she would give it right back to him. It was never serious, and he couldn't in good conscience consider listing the amulet as a "problem" in his life.

The others had gathered around him by now. Hunter was, he thought, strangely close.

He told CyberCam that he'd join him in Ninja Ops.

Tori protested, and he did his best not to sound too relieved about leaving. He was almost free... until Hunter declared, "We're coming with you."

"No!" Even as he said it, he heard the amulet's smug amusement in his mind.

_Hah! Didn't blow off his beach day for Shane, did he! No, he doesn't know you exist... Completely different dimensions._ She barely paused. _He just_ follows _you like a_ puppy!

"Stay," he told Hunter, then winced as the amulet laughed. There was nothing they could do until he knew what they were dealing with, and he told them so.

He left as quickly as possible.

Later, when it was Hunter who called to check in, the amulet paid no attention to the fact that Cam already had one snarky voice trying to talk over him. _I'll go out on a limb here,_ she remarked, _and say that it probably hasn't gotten_ colder _since you left._ Hunter was wearing his shirt again.

It didn't mean anything, Cam told himself.

  


**3\. Only in Green **

He stared up at the ceiling, wondering if he would ever look at the training rooms the same way again. With the plastic floor mat against his back and one arm pillowed under his head, it was certainly not a view he had very often. Or at least, not for very long, since typically anyone who knocked him on his back in a training session had retribution coming--and fast.

This was not a typical training session. It had started out as one, maybe... although looking back, he wasn't so sure of that. Cam had gotten steadily weirder throughout, and finally he had just lost it. Kissing one's opponent senseless was not a standard sparring defense in any discipline, but Cam had suddenly seemed to feel it was appropriate.

He wasn't the only one. Hunter didn't think about Cam, as a general rule. He had tried it once, and his mind had run off to places he was sure Cam's didn't go. Places that would land him on the training mats face down, and probably with a concussion to boot. So his solution was to not think around Cam: not about Cam, not about things Cam did, not about things Cam said or made fun of or questioned or wondered about.

Until today. Today he found himself thinking about Cam nonstop. From the moment he'd set their morphers aside to spar until the moment he'd found himself pinned to the mat with Cam on top of him. After that there had been less of the thinking and more of being completely overwhelmed.

"So, the obvious question," he said at last, a little surprised to hear his voice cooperating. "What exactly was that?"

At first he thought Cam wasn't going to answer. Then he thought that Cam not answering was actually pretty optimistic, since there had to be a hundred snarky answers to that question and most of them wouldn't be funny right now. Or ever. Answers ranging from the birds and the bees to "if you don't know I'm certainly not going to tell you." And he had no doubt that Cam could deliver any of them impeccably and at a moment's notice.

"Obvious," Cam agreed at last, the words strangely muffled. Hunter couldn't quite work up the nerve to look over at him and find out why. "But a little late."

Late? That was all he had to say? 

"Until now," Hunter informed the ceiling, "I was kind of distracted. So pretend I asked before and you're just now getting around to answering."

There was another long pause. Then, in what was apparently a complete non sequitur, Cam inquired, "Did I mention that my amulet talks to me?"

There was nothing to say to that.

"It's really quite vocal," Cam continued, ignoring his silence. "It's had a lot to say about my life lately... most of it not very complimentary," he added dryly. "Sometimes I wonder why I ended up with the only talking morpher."

"Does this have anything to do with the question?" Hunter demanded. Even as he asked, though, he realized with sudden dismay that the answer might be "yes."

"Yes," Cam confirmed. He didn't elaborate, but Hunter could pretty well fill in the blanks on his own.

"You saying you tore my clothes off because your amulet told you to?" he asked bluntly.

Cam actually considered that. "Yes," he said at last.

"Even on a list of weird excuses," Hunter told him, "one that includes being chased by girls with 'I love Lothor' signs, and being threatened by an army of people with humus, that one would still stand out."

"When were you threatened by people with humus?" Cam wanted to know.

"It was a TV show," Hunter muttered. "Not really my point."

"Your point being?"

"You have a lousy excuse and I want to know why. You have great excuses for everything else you do, with words we need a dictionary to understand and fancy computer graphics to illustrate whatever you're saying."

"Sorry I didn't have time to prepare a PowerPoint presentation on 'Why I Slept With Hunter Bradley,'" Cam said dryly. "Maybe some other time."

"I don't want a presentation." The words were clipped and he didn't make any effort to moderate his tone. "I just want to know why. What's so hard about it?"

"Why back," Cam responded, sounding defensive for the first time. "You didn't have to go along with it."

"No backsies," Hunter snapped. "Geez, what kind of games did you play as a child? I asked you first!"

"And I told you!" Cam retorted. "My amulet thinks it's a life coach, okay? I couldn't take it anymore."

He was torn between annoyance and skepticism. And the nagging feeling that it didn't really matter whether Cam was joking or not--either possibility might be equally bad. "Are you serious about this amulet thing?"

"Can you talk to him, too?" Cam asked. "Or is it just me?"

Hunter frowned up at the ceiling. "What?"

"I'm not talking to you," Cam told him.

"I'm the only other person here," Hunter said warily. Except for...

"It says you have to be in physical contact with it," Cam muttered. "It can talk to me across the room because I'm its owner. But not you. I'll trade," he added, sounding vaguely amused.

"You saying I have to touch it?" Hunter repeated. He was still more than half waiting for the punch line.

"If there's one thing I've learned over the last three months," Cam said with a sigh, "it's that you don't argue with the amulet." With that, he lifted his hand, the movement flickering in Hunter's peripheral vision. There was a whooshing sound, and the hint of a breeze tugged at his hair.

"Here," Cam continued, holding something out to him. Hunter turned his head, lifted his gaze to Cam's in surprise when he saw what was in his hand.

"What are you, an air ninja?" he blurted out.

Cam gave him an odd look. "Yes," he said simply.

Well, wasn't that interesting. He'd known Cam had ninja training--enough to match his and Blake's, maybe even overpower them in a fair fight--but an elemental affiliation? That was news to him. 

"Fine," he said, reaching for Cam's hand. "What do I--"

His fingers brushed against Cam's, but it was the distinctly feminine voice that made him bolt upright. *Showing off, Cameron?* it inquired. *I've taught you well. If you've got it, flaunt it, that's what I always say.*

Hunter's head snapped around, but the room was empty save for them. They were still alone; no question about it. Which meant there was only one place that voice could be coming from. "Fuck," he breathed, staring at the amulet in surprise. The fact that Cam didn't look at all startled should have tipped him off from the start.

*No,* the voice said blithely. *You've already done that. Though I think introductions might be in order... Cameron, that means you.*

"Cameron?" Hunter repeated, looking over at Cam. He had propped himself up on one elbow and was watching Hunter's reaction with interest. Until Hunter used his full name, and he rolled his eyes.

"Hunter, meet the Samurai amulet. If there's any justice, she'll make your life as miserable as she makes mine."

*I resent that remark.* The amulet did, indeed, sound miffed. *You seemed to be enjoying yourself earlier. Thanks to me, I might add.*

Hunter decided to ignore that. "She?" he asked, still staring at Cam.

Cam offered a one-shouldered shrug, hesitating for the first time. "It's... sort of feminine," he muttered.

"Yeah." Hunter glanced at the amulet, frowning. "I noticed."

"Probably because my mom had it last," Cam said uncomfortably. "I don't know. It's not really her voice, but it does bond to people who hold it long enough."

*Sure, blame your mother.* The amulet sounded annoyed. *That's very mature.*

Exasperated, Hunter demanded, "Does it do this all the time? Talk to you, I mean?"

"Oh, she does more than talk," Cam muttered. "Yes, she does it all the time, and no, I don't know why I'm not crazy yet. Maybe I am and I just don't know it," he added.

*I'd know,* the amulet remarked.

"Yes, thank you," Cam responded immediately. "That's very comforting."

Hearing the exchange, comprehension finally dawned. "You're not talking to yourself," he realized. He wasn't wild about the whole talking-amulet scenario, but it did explain a few things. "These last couple weeks, when you've been all distracted and you said you were just talking to yourself. You were talking to the amulet, weren't you."

*Ding ding ding!* the amulet declared. *Give the boy a prize!*

"Would you stop that?" Cam demanded. "Not everyone is used to having their head filled with constant sarcastic commentary!"

"Oh, I don't know," Hunter said, with an attempt at indifference. It was too good an opening to pass up. "Everyone who knows you is."

This time, the amulet sounded decidedly smug. *I knew there was a reason I liked him.*

"Yeah, I knew there was too," Cam retorted. "And it didn't have anything to do with his impressive wit."

It was weird... very weird, sitting here, listening to Cam and his amulet snip at each other like old friends. It was weirder when he was the subject of conversation. And it was beyond weird when the conversation was... complimentary?

*It was his impressive something,* the amulet was saying irreverently, and Cam turned a much-abused gaze on him.

"You see what I put up with?" He was inviting Hunter to share the humor, but there was a wariness in his eyes that said he half-expected Hunter to flip. Any second now. And, okay--he was walking a fine line. 

If freaking out was on one side and being amused was on the other, he was close enough to reach out and touch either one. Cam was the deciding factor... how much did he trust Cam, really? Was this--whatever it was, had been, could be--worth it to him? Worth the inherent freakiness, worth the possibility of humiliation, worth the total lack of control that came with it?

"Has she really been doing this for months?" he asked at last, studying Cam's expression.

"What," Cam said dryly, "practicing the peanut gallery act, or pointing out your 'impressive something'?"

He couldn't come up with a right way to answer that question. "Yes?"

Cam just nodded.

Hunter watched him for a moment. "That must have been kind of... distracting."

Cam heaved a heartfelt sigh. "You have no idea."

Hunter's mouth quirked, and he reached out to brush his fingers against Cam's lips. He trusted Cam with his life--as Rangers, that went without saying--but trusting him with his secrets? He watched Cam lean into the caress, just the tiniest bit, enough to say that he wasn't going to just walk out and leave Hunter alone in this... whatever it was.

Yeah, Hunter decided. It was worth it to him.

  


**4\. Starglow **

Cam was really terrible to sleep with. He was a workaholic, restless, and a light sleeper on top of it. He got up and returned at seemingly random hours of the night, he didn't stay in one position longer than ten minutes when he did doze off, and he would wake up for absolutely anything. A pin dropping down the hall would rouse him.

It was a problem that Hunter had never particularly anticipated, distracted as he was by the more pleasant possibilities of such close quarters. And those possibilities were certainly... worthwhile. He didn't mind exploring them on something more comfortable than the training room floor. It was just that it hadn't occurred to him how hard it actually was to sleep--literally sleep--with someone like Cam.

Cam sighed, shifting a little without opening his eyes, and Hunter lifted himself up onto one elbow. He had learned to move when Cam did if he wanted to observe without being observed. Perversely, Cam seemed to notice less when he was half awake than he did when he was completely asleep.

That wasn't the only thing he had discovered over the last few months. He had also learned how far he could scrunch up the pillows before Cam protested, and exactly how much of the blanket he could expect to end up with if they shared. How far open he could leave the window before they traded "stifling" for "breezy." How early Cam considered early enough, and whether the radio did or didn't count as an alarm...

He echoed Cam's sigh without realizing it. If he had known how hard it would be to sleep _with_ someone else, all night, he might have thought twice before inviting Cam over that first time. Sharing a bed with Cam was uncomfortable and annoying and full of more compromises than anything else they did together.

He wished they had been able to do it more often.

He gave his head a shake, the movement slight, brief, and involuntary. Weird nostalgia taking over... and where had that come from, anyway? What made him think of this as the past? So they didn't get to spend enough time together. That could change. They could change it, if they wanted to. They had just been, you know, busy, lately. Busier than normal, between the shakeup in Lothor's army and the weirdness in their own lives--

The odd sense of sadness touched him again, and he frowned irritably. Okay, nostalgia not going away. Since when was he such a sap that he couldn't even watch Cam sleep without getting all teary-eyed? The guy was good enough looking, or whatever, but asleep he was just like anyone else: unconscious, unresponsive, and frankly too much of a bed hog to justify the disappointment that was keeping Hunter awake.

He pulled away from Cam, stealthily but steadily, knowing that Cam would sense the change no matter how quiet he was about it. He had actually pushed himself into a sitting position, feet almost on the floor before Cam rolled over, eyes less than half open as his vision struggled against the dimness. Weird. Maybe Cam really was getting used to him, after all.

"S'all right," he muttered, voice barely louder than a whisper. "Back in a sec."

Cam made a noise that could have been anything, but was probably just an indication that he had heard. His eyes were already closed again, and he hadn't bothered to lift his head. He used to wake up all the way, Hunter was sure. It was only recently that Cam had stopped complaining about every single time Hunter moved, got up, or spoke in his sleep. Sometimes Cam didn't even seem to remember it in the morning.

How much faster would it have happened, Hunter wondered, if they had been able to sleep together more often?

Don't push your luck, a voice in the back of his head told him. They were lucky they'd had these few nights. Without discussing it, they had both decided that spending the night at Ninja Ops was an unworkable idea. Lothor's aliens could attack at any time--and had--necessitating the immediate presence of the other Rangers in the command center, where it would be difficult to explain why no one ever arrived before Hunter. And of course, there was Sensei.

Hunter still wasn't sure how much Sensei knew or had guessed. He did know that Cam usually informed his dad of his overnight plans by referring to "the Thunders' apartment," or "Hunter and Blake's place," thus making it sound less like he was going exclusively to hang out with Hunter. Except that of course the nights he stayed there always coincided with nights when Blake was out with Tori or otherwise absent. Sensei wasn't stupid, and he wasn't slow. But since Hunter wasn't going to be the one to bring the subject up, it looked like he would have to live with his curiosity.

There it was again, he realized abruptly. They were lucky they'd had these few nights. Like they were over now, like this was the last time. What the heck was going on in his subconscious?

He was frowning down at Cam's sleeping form. He tore his gaze away, troubled, and a gentle green glow caught his eye as he turned toward the door. Great. Just what he needed right now. He considered ignoring it. But that would be rude, and in return for her promise not to bother them while they were... otherwise occupied, he had always felt she was due some amount of courtesy.

He picked up Cam's amulet by the cord, careful not to touch it until he was out of the room with the door pulled most of the way shut behind him. The glow brightened a little, probably impatient, but she had startled exclamations out of him before. Cam would only want to know what they were talking about if he woke up again. 

Finally, Hunter set the amulet down on the counter and covered it with his hand as he reached for a cupboard door. "You got something to say?" he muttered, careful to keep his voice soft. It was an unnecessary question, really. When didn't she have something to say?

*Yes,* she answered anyway. *You were a little slow with the tongue on the first--*

He lifted his hand and her voice cut off as fast as it had come. He did not need her commentary on his sex life, and he had told her so flat out over and over again. At first he had refused to even have the amulet in the same room with them, until Cam had told him that, for all practical purposes, the amulet knew what he knew. She was an inescapable voyeur and there was nothing any of them could do about it.

But that didn't mean he wanted her opinion.

Holding a glass under the tap, he raised an eyebrow in her direction as he filled it. The amulet had gone dark--her equivalent of a sigh--and he knew his annoyance had been noted. Whether she would take it seriously was another matter entirely. 

Leaning back against the counter, he raised the glass and waited. He had only managed a couple of swallows before the amulet lit up again, a soft glow that didn't hurt his eyes in the dim shadows from the streetlights outside. He reached out and picked up the necklace again, fingers closing around the amulet deliberately this time. She had gotten the message.

She really wasn't bad conversation, either. He wondered sometimes if she got lonely with only Cam to talk to. Well, Cam, and him on occasion. It wasn't exactly a vast social circle, and she seemed pretty intelligent. What did she think about? When she wasn't bugging the heck out of him?

*You're upset.* The words sounded like they were coming from over his shoulder, like someone standing beside him or directly behind him. Perfectly normal spoken speech, except that no one else could hear it. Like wearing headphones with the music turned down low, it overlaid the surrounding conversation but didn't block it out.

"Nah," he said aloud, surprised she had mentioned it. "I'm used to you by now."

Her tone when she replied was amused. *Not about what I said. I meant before that... I saw you watching Cam.*

He frowned a little, unintentionally defensive. "Can't a guy look at someone without it being the end of the world?"

*Funny you would put it like that.* Her voice was pensive now, the humor gone and an uncharacteristic sobriety in its place. *Something's coming, you know. You must be able to feel it. Cam can.*

Okay, she was having a conversation that he had totally missed the beginning of. He'd thought he'd known what she was talking about, but both times it had gone right over his head. Now she seemed to think he had caught up. He hadn't.

"Cam can feel what?" he asked at last. "What do you mean, something's coming?"

*The way the power's gathering. Evil is getting stronger. So is good. There's a battle coming.*

"There's always a battle coming," he said with a shrug. "That's what we get for being Rangers. And I'm not so sure evil's getting stronger... I mean, look at Lothor's generals. They're dropping like flies."

*Lothor isn't the only source of evil in the universe.*

He opened his mouth to ask what that had to do with anything, then thought better of it. Arguing with her didn't do anything to silence the fleeting but disturbing impressions that had been gnawing at him all night. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked warily.

*Smart boy,* she replied, her usual amusement muted. *I'm telling you because things are about to start changing, maybe faster than you can imagine. You should think about what's important to you. And what's important to Cam.*

He frowned, not sure he liked the sound of that. "What do you mean, what's important? I know what's important to me."

*Hunter.* She sounded a little impatient, which he thought was uncalled for. She was being way more cryptic than usual. *Your life is about to be totally rewritten. If you don't know ahead of time what parts of it you want to keep, you'll end up with nothing but what fate hands you.*

"I don't believe in fate," he informed her.

*Maybe you should start,* she said sharply. *There's nothing you can do to avoid what's coming. I just want you to recognize it when it happens, to know that the choices you make in the next few days will affect the rest of your life.*

He stared across the room at the bedroom door, mouth dry despite the empty glass on the counter beside him. He didn't ask how she knew. She was only confirming the inexplicable fear he felt. "It's over, isn't it," he whispered. "This thing, between me and Cam."

For once, she didn't make fun of his inability to say the "r" word. *Maybe,* she agreed, unusually solemn. *I guess that's up to you.*

The sound of a key in the lock made him look over his shoulder automatically, even though there was only one person it could be. He bunched up the amulet's cord in his hand to make it less conspicuous--boxers really ought to have pockets--and turned back to the sink. He was just filling his glass a second time when the door opened and Blake shuffled quietly in.

"Hey, bro." Hunter kept his voice low, but his presence would keep Blake from hitting the lights and he really didn't want to be blinded right now. "Have a good night?"

"Hey," Blake answered, just as quietly. "Yeah, we did." Dropping his keys on the table, he joined Hunter in the kitchen. "You?"

"Yeah." Light spilled out of the refrigerator when Blake tugged the door open, and Hunter added, "Cam's asleep."

Blake just nodded, still scanning. "I figured."

*Because if he wasn't,* the amulet added idly, *you wouldn't be standing in the kitchen talking to his jewelry.*

She really had the worst timing. He was this close to answering her when he caught himself, smiling innocently at his brother as Blake straightened up. Blake gave him an odd look, somewhere between suspicious and amused, but he didn't comment. "Too wired to sleep," he offered instead. "I'm gonna watch some comedian or something. Wanna join me?"

*Let's see,* the amulet remarked. *Sex with Cam, or TV with Blake. Yes, it is difficult decision.*

Hunter hesitated, and not just because it was hard to ignore that kind of commentary in his head. What if this really was... well, the last night? He complained about sleeping with Cam enough that Blake would never buy it if he said he wanted to go back to bed. And yet--he did. But he didn't want to pass up late night channel surfing with his bro, either. He couldn't help feeling that this might be the last night for a lot of things.

Cam solved his dilemma for him by cracking the bedroom door and squinting out at them. "Blake?" he muttered, the word interrupted by a jaw-splitting yawn.

"Yeah, bro," Blake answered softly. "Sorry to wake you up." The apology was automatic, Hunter knew, but Cam probably appreciated it anyway.

Cam was shaking his head. "You didn't," he mumbled, surprising Hunter. He folded bare arms across his t-shirt-clad chest. "Couldn't sleep. Too restless."

Hunter exchanged glances with Blake. "Yeah," he agreed after a moment. "We know the feeling."

"Wanna catch some late night TV?" Blake suggested. "We were just about to crash on the couch."

No sharp response about the dubious merits of such an activity was forthcoming. Instead, Cam just shrugged a little, nodded once, and yawned again. "Sure," he agreed unexpectedly. "Sounds okay to me."

So he didn't have to choose, after all. Would he later? He passed the amulet back to Cam as they settled on the couch, remembering her words: _You should think about what's important to you. And to Cam._

The cushions sagged as Blake claimed his spot on the sofa, triumphantly brandishing the remote control after having fished it out from underneath the chair. Hunter grinned, pretended to tousle with him for it, gave up without any real regret. Blake turned the TV on, artificial noise and laughter invading the quiet room, and Hunter shot a sideways glance at Cam.

The television cast an eerie glow over his features, making his skin look paler than usual and his green shirt look grey. His amulet hung just above his crossed arms, and Hunter studied the two of them for just a minute. He had the strangest feeling that he might never see that image again.

Then Cam looked over at him, wearing a quizzical expression for Hunter's intent gaze. Hunter smiled, saw it returned in kind, and slouched down against the sofa cushions contentedly. No use worrying about tomorrow when they still had tonight.


End file.
